Convertible furniture article



1953 c. R. CARPENTER CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE ARTICLE Filed Jan. 17, 1951 2 SHEETS-SHEET l iffy-ways.

Feb. 17, 1953 c; R. CARPENTER 2,628,659

CONVERTIBLE FURNITURE ARTICLE Filed Jan. 17, 1951 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 INVENTOR. 06! BY Z Patented Feb. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CONVERTIBLE rmmtns "ARfIClill Charles R. Carpenter, Eden, N. Y..- Appl'ication January 17, 1951, Serial No. 206,455

This invention relates to a convertible furnitule article of the type used either as'a childrens play table or toy storage box and particularly to such a furniture article which is intended and adapted to hold toys when in a folded or closed condition and to become a play table when'in an unfolded or open condition.

It is an object of the invention to provide such a convertible furniture'article in the form of a completely enclosed toy storage box but which is adapted to 'be "easily unfolded into a play table.

"Other-objects are to provide such a convertible furniture article which is attractive and neat appearing in either its folded or unfolded condition; which is simple and sturdy in construction and which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a convertible furniture article embodying the present invention and-showing the article arranged in its closed or folded condition to provide a toy storage box.

Fig. 2'is a perspective view taken from a similar angle and showing the furniture article converted to its open or unfolded condition to provide a play table.

{Fig 3 is a side elevational view of the furniture article as shown in Fig. 1. I

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional viewthereof taken on line 4 4, Fig. 3.

Fig. '5 is a side elevational'view of the furniture article as shown in Fig. 2, with portions of the side walls broken away to expose the end and top walls in section.

Fig. '6 is atop plan view thereof.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional View thereof taken on line 1 7; Fig. v

Referringto Figs. 1, 3 and 4, the convertible furniture article is shown in its closed or folded condition and as being in the form of a hollow rectangularly shaped box-like structure having a rectangular bottom wall provided by a single panel 10; end walls rising from opposite ends thereof and each comprising overlapping upper and lower end wall panel sections I! and 12 respectively; a pair of opposite side walls arranged between the end walls and each side wall comprising upper and lower side wall panel sections f3 and '14 respectively; and a top wall comprising a pair of similar top wall panel section-s The lower endwall panelsections [2 are shown s. being. of the same height as the lower side wall 7' Claims. (Cl. 155-41) p'anelsections M'andth'ese panel sections are rigidly connected together at their respective meeting edges and "also toth'e bottom panel I'll in any suitable manner asby screws orby being glued together.

The upper end wallpanel sections I l are shown as being oifset inwardly of the companion lower end wall panel sections I2 so that "the inner mar? ginal portions of'the sections H are'ov'erlapped by the inner marginal portions of the sections l2, as best shown in Fig. 5. If desired, howeven'the end walls can be constructedof a single panel member, the offset "arrangement shown being preferred to provide a more attractive furniture article. I

Each upper side wall panel section l3 rigidly connected to its companion top wall panel section l5 along their respective meeting edges in any suitable manner as by screws or by being glued'together, to provide an angle member "as best shown in Fig. 2. Each upper side wall panel section 13 is pivoted along its inner horizontal edge to the opposing inner horizontal edge of its companion lower side wall panel section 14. this purposea pair of spaced hinges lG-l G is shown as connecting these'panel sections and these hinges are arranged adjacent the vertical end walls of the s r ctura I 7 I, A

An access opening is provided in each of the side walls of the structure shown in Figs. 1 3 and 4 to permit toys or other articles to be'ins'erted into the interior of the hollow structure. Each such opening is provided by recessing the inner horizontal edge of the upper side wall panel section I 3 as indicated at I1 and also by recessing i the inner horizontal edge of thelower side wall panel section M as indicated at I8. The vertical of general rectangular form. The horizontal edge I of the recess i8 is formed to provide an upwardly extending rounded'salient central part [9. Such a construction provides knee recesses 20 when the furniture article is converted into a play table.

A closure -2l is provided-for each such access opening soprovidedin the side wall of the furniture article when arranged as a toy storage box as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4. Such closure 2| is shown in the form-of a rectangular panel arranged against the inner faces of the side wall sections 13 and M. The upper horizontal edge of each closure panel 2| is suitably hinged to the corresponding side wall section l3 as indicated at 22. The closure panel or door 2| is arranged to swing inwardly and upwardly .about its hinge '22 I xiereby to uncover at least a portion of the side wall opening provided by the recesses I1 and I8 and permit a toy or other article to be inserted through the opening into the interior of the box like furniture article. It will be noted that the door 2i is always urged to a closed position by its own weight.

Each door 2| carries centrally at its lower edge a clip 23 as shown in Fig. 4. This clip is adapted to receive the free longitudinal edge of the adjacent top panel section I as shown in Figs. 2 and 7.

For ease in lifting or carrying the furniture article, a ring handle 24 is shown as arranged on each upper end wall section II adjacent the upper edge thereof. A similar ring handle 25 is shown as arranged on the upper surface of one of the top panel sections I5 adjacent its inner longitudinal edge.

It will therefore be seen that the convertible furniture article as shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 4 provides a sturdy and attractive storage box for toys and the like and which permits toy articles to be inserted and removed through access openings provided in the side walls thereof. If desired articles can also be inserted and removed by swinging one of the top panel sections I5 upwardly and laterally about the hinges I6 so as to uncover a portion of the top of the storage box.

When it is desired to convert the storage box into a play table, the angular members provided by the companion top panel sections I5 and upper side wall panel sections I3 are first swung upwardly and outwardly about the hinges I5 until the panel sections I5 are arranged perpendicular to the side panel sections I4. The angular members referred to are preferably restrained against further outward pivotal movement by articulated strut devices 26. These strut devices 26 are suitably connected at their opposite ends to the end wall panel sections II and the side wall sections I3.

The doors 2! are then swung about their hinges 22 so as to bring the clips 23 adjacent the free longitudinal edges of the panel sections I5. The clips 23 are preferably made of sheet metal and are flexible sufficient to permit the same to be distorted to receive the said longitudinal edges of the panel sections I5 as shown in Fig. '7. It will thus be noted that when the furniture article is converted into a play table the doors 2| serve as braces for the angular members provided by the connected panel sections I3 and I5.

The furniture article so extended can then be inverted to assume the position shown in Figs. 2 and 57. In this inverted condition the bottom wall It] serves as a table surface and the side wall sections I3 provide seats on which the children can sit. It will be noted that the recesses I1 and I8 provide ample leg room for the child, the recess I'I serving as a cutback into the seat and the recess I8 providing a vertical opening in the side wall to accommodate the legs of the child. In this connection the recesses 2|} provide ample room for the knees of the child.

When it is desired to reconvert the furniture article from its unfolded condition to its folded condition to again serve as a storage box, the unfolding operations described above are reversed. Thus the furniture article is reinverted right side up, the clips 23 are disengaged from the panel sections I5, and the angular members provided by the connected panel sections I3 and I5 are swung upwardly and toward each other so as to return the article to the folded condition shown in Fig. 1. During this folding together of the angular members the doors 2| will swing down so as to close the openings in the side walls.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the present invention provides a simple, sturdy and attractive furniture article which can be readily converted to and from folded and unfolded conditions thereby providing a comfortable play table when in the unfolded condition and a completely enclosed storage box for toy articles when in its folded condition.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. In a toy storage box convertible into a play table with a seat when unfolded and inverted, the combination comprising bottom, end, side and top walls, said top wall having a movable section adjacent one of said side walls, said one of said side walls having an upper section connected to said movable section of said top wall along the meeting edges of said sections thereby to form an angular member, means mounting said angular member for pivotal movement along the edge of said upper side wall section opposite from said meeting edges, said upper side wall section being recessed from its said opposite edge toward said meeting edges thereby to form an access opening in said one of said side walls, a closure member for said access opening and arranged on the inner Side of said one of said side walls and pivotally mounted at its upper part on said upper side wall section, and means adapted to connect said closure member with said top wall section as a brace for said angular member when the same is unfolded as a seat member.

2. In a toy storage box convertible into a play table with a seat when unfolded and inverted, the combination comprising bottom, end, side and top walls, one of said side walls having a fixed lower section and a movable upper section, said top wall having a movable section connected with said upper side wall section along their meeting edges thereby to form an angular member, means mounting said angular member for pivotal movement along the edge of said upper side wall section opposite from said meeting edges, said lower side wall section being recessed from its upper edge toward its lower edge thereby to form an access opening in said one of said side walls, a closure member for said access opening and arranged on the inner side of said one of said side walls and pivotally mounted at its upper part on said upper side wall section, and means adapted to connect said closure member with said top wall section as a brace for said angular member when the same is unfolded as a seat member.

3. In a toy storage box convertible into a play table with a seat when unfolded and inverted, the combination comprising bottom, end, side and top walls, one of said side walls having a fixed lower section and a movable upper section, said top wall having a movable section connected with said upper side wall section along their meeting edges thereby to form an angular member, means mounting said angular member for pivotal movement along the edge of said upper side wall section opposite from said meeting edges,

the adjacent edges of said upper and lower side wall sections being recessed to provide jointly an access opening in said one of said side walls, a closure member for said access opening and arranged on the inner side of said one of said side walls and pivotally mounted at its upper part on said upper side wall section, and means adapted to connect said closure member with said top wall section as a brace for said angular member when the same is unfolded as a seat member.

4. In a toy storage box convertible into a play table with a seat when unfolded and inverted, the combination comprising bottom, end, side and top walls, one of said side walls having a fixed lower section and a movable upper section, said top wall having a movable section connected with said upper side wall section along their meeting edges thereby to form an angular member, means mounting said angular member for pivotal movement along the edge of said upper side wall section opposite from said meeting edges, the adjacent edges or said upper and lower side wall sections being centrally recessed to provide jointly a generally rectangular access opening in said one of said side walls, the corner portions of the recess in said lower side wall section being farther recessed than the intermediate part therebetween, a closure member for said access opening and arranged on the inner side of said one of said side walls and pivotally mounted at its upper part on said upper side wall section, and means adapted to connect said closure member with said top wall section as a brace for said angular member when the same is unfolded as a seat member.

5. In a toy storage box convertible into a play table with a seat when unfolded and inverted, the combination comprising bottom, end, side and top walls, one of said side walls having a fixed lower section and a movable upper section, said top wall having a movable section connected with said upper side wall section along their meeting edges thereby to form an angular member, means mounting said angular member for pivotal movement along the edge of said upper sid wall section opposite from said meeting edges, the adjacent edges of said upper and lower side wall sections being recessed to provide jointly an access opening in said on of said side walls, a closure member for said access opening and arranged on the inner side of said one of said side walls and pivotally mounted at its upper part on said upper side wall section, and means carried by said closure member and arranged to connect said closure member with said top wall section whereby said closure member serves as a brace for said angular member when the same is unfolded as a seat member.

6. In a toy storage box convertible into a play table with a seat when unfolded and inverted, the combination comprising bottom, end, side and top Walls, one of said side walls having a fixed lower section and a movable upper section, said top wall having a movable section connected with said upper side wall section along their meeting edges thereby to form an angular member, means mounting said angular member for pivotal movement along the edge of said upper side wall section opposite from said meeting edges, the adjacent edges of said upper and lower side wall sections being recessed to provid jointly an access opening in said one of said side walls, a closure member for said access opening and arranged on the inner side of said one of said side walls and pivotally mounted at its upper part on said upper side wall section. and a clip carried by said closure member and arranged to receive the free edge of said top wall section whereby said closure member serves as a brace for said angular member when the same is unfolded as a seat member.

7. A convertible furniture article which in its folded condition provides a toy storage box and which in its unfolded and inverted condition provides a play table with seats, comprising a boxlike structure having a bottom wall, end walls, lower side wall sections, upper side wall sections arranged above said lower side wall sections, a pair of top wall sections each of which is connected to the adjacent upper side wall section along their meeting edges thereby to form a pair of angular members, means pivotally connecting each angular member to the adjacent lower side wall section, the adjacent edges of said upper and lower side wall sections being recessed to provide jointly an access opening in each side wall of said structure, and a closure member for each access opening and arranged on the inner side thereof and hinged at its upper part to the adjacent upper side wall section, and means adapted to connect said closure member with the adjacent angular member as a brace therefor when these angular members are unfolded as seat members.

CHARLES R. CARPENTER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Number Name Date 601,727 Campbell et a1 Apr. 5, 1898 1,253,913 Walker Jan. 15, 1918 1,716,612 Wing June 11, 1929 2,448,377 Lindner Aug. 31, 1948 

